Chrystella : the echo of a dream

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James Chester Rockwell
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CHRYSTELLA
THE ECHO OF A DHEAM.
-II\"-
JAM ES 'JHESTER ROCKWELL dl'- ;C <A
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Yo: whosc heans aro: sympathetlc,
Llstcn to thiS simple s tory
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I'UIlI.USII!>O Ill'
ROCKWELL, TAYLOR Ii COMPANY
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MYMOTHER
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IVMlel.lUle, N, y" Dt:(:embu 18M,
THE .\.UTFlO.R.
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CHRYSTELLA:
THE ECHO OF A DREAM.
'fly ,fAIllES ('H~:STEII ROCKWEI.I ••
LoNG years ago, I had a dream.
'Veird, wild and mournful, and so strungf'.
That o'er my soul it cast n spell,
" rhich lingers in my dreaming 1)tiJl.
.And though the winds of time haw~ swept
The leaycs froll! memory'S withered tt'et>,
Yet sometimes to my heart therp CODl~~
The faint pel'fume of other days j
And with the fl'agran('e of the pnst,
The olden dream comes back again.
It has been long. long years ago,
Since first into my dream there cnme.
This l"ision, whose wan spectre now
Comes back to haunt my dreaming hoUl's:
.\nd I have wished, aye, pm.yed in nlin.
That from my htlUrt and mind and lif€'o
Each lingering trace of it mjght be
FOl'e"er blotted out nnd lost.
CIIIU'sn:LLA :
For :tll Ill)' lire is full or gloom,
And in my heart a. bitter pang
Uprises. when the vision comes,
.\nd thrusts itself b~rore my eyes;
Ancl oneil from my d reams I wake,
\Vith beating heart and pall id lips.
And shudl1er when I know that I
[l~l\'e dreamed the same old dre..'\m again.
] would forget:
But tIler!! are things
So dt'eply gnwen on some hearts.
Etel'IHtl ages cannot wear
The mark of one brief moment off.
I
'$O~H;WIIER.E, I know not where or when,-
10'01' in my dream I knew no place,
Ancl ("ounted. not the passing time,-
I wandered on a lonely shore,
By some blue sea, whose dreamy songs
Stole softly o'er my listening soul,
And fillecl my heart with melody.
[ was alone i and down the strand
T wandel'ed aimless and content,
Nor heeded that the day was fast
Declining, and the sombre- skies
'I'rn: }:cno OF A OREAll.
Were growing d:ll'k berOrt~ th~ storm,
'Vhich suddenly Mose from out
Then darkling stretch of restless sen,
Tbe sun sank in the distant west,
Behind a screen of frowning clol1(ls j
And out on the horizon's rim,
l saw the sweeping tempest !ide
Upon the crest of foaming waves.
Then darkness covered all j and T
Alone upon a lonely shore,
Groped blindly through the blinding storm,
And t11e rush of waters and the roar
Of breakers dnshing on the rocks,
And falling broken at the feet
or giant cliffs, was in my ear;
T heard the angry waters shout
Songs of vengeance and distress
To bapless ships upon the sea:
And wen I knew that ere the morn,
The direful tbrents wonld he rulfilled.
TbP clash of waves agllinst the rocks.
The rush nnd roal' of battling "iuds,
The wild, hoal'se shout of Neptullt>'s voice.
Were not enough:
Long, loud lind tierce.
The thunders broke <1ho\'e the lIoise,
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Ancl hel\\'eo's artilll'ry began
TOt'eho through the frightened air.
\\' ild Chaos reigned und Discord pla,yed
Its .... cilc1est, loudest song upon
The organ or the Unhrerse .
. \lld still I wandered through the storm,
Adown the stretch of trembling sand,
Losr :md bewildered in the dash
On nature's unrelenting war.
Thel'e was a moment's pause, and then
I thought 1 heard a human shriek­The
wailing voice of some one lost.
Cpon the sea, and crying out,
J n wild despair, for hopeless aid.
)1y blood grew chill, and rhrout;'h my frome,
A horrifying shudder mn;
And on my ben.ten brow, T ft:!lt
'rhe burning l'!weat of anguish rree1.~ :
Wilet horror sat upon my hem't,
And deathly fears stole o'er my soul:
I would have fainted, bllt the thought
or some one in distress suffired
'1'0 keep the llame of life ablaze
A million years in D,mte's h/:'11
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Would be a thousand times more SWt>f'i.
Than thut brief moment wn.~ to me :
I'd ratlwt go through a.1I the woes
That hUlUan e:u"$ have en!l' beard,
Than suffer through that night :lgain ;
I'd I,lther live;1, million yl':l1'5,
And di~ ten thousand horrid de:lth~
Than listen to that a.wful cry
Tha.t came across thtl stormy sea.
Upon that night of storln and wo .. -
Olt God, my horror strichn t.'(ln,
J/a<llisteneil to tlwt toice ur;/or(',
There ('ame a blinding flash of light
That told me all :
C' pon the sea.,
A fragile boat, tossed hy the wavt's,
And shooting wildly towal'el the ro('ks
As helpless as n lenr lleiore
The wild and fierce Novernbel' grue,
Doomed to destruction without hope ;
And in the boat--
)fy trembling hand
Would sooner (ar forget its art,
Than writf> the records of that night·
But fa.te impels me, and my drealu
Becomes tbe wondel' of a day,
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There was a womn.o in the boat­Her
hair was streaming in the wind.
Despite the """Tnth of r-<1in and spray,
Which Cell with cruel bt!81't1essness
Upon her unprotected head j
Her Cace was wbitel' than the dead j
Her eyes were like two dying til"eS,
That burned upon a hmernl pyre;
And her fair, slender hands were clinched
In agony oC dumb dp.spair-
But it is vain Cor me to try-
1 cannot picture bel' to you:
For there are things beyond the rt::ach
Of feeble mortal strength and aim.
I would not if I could, for it
Would free7.e the life-blood in your ,"eios.
[f I should paint the scene to you,
.lust as it was revea.1ed to me.
She saw me Ulen> upon the shore,
And. seeing knE"w me-though long yea~
Had passed since last we two had met;
But she remembered j and she shrieked
Again, as if she thought that 1
\"ere some Nemesis, come to mock
lIer in her hour of agon~'.
TnJ.; J.:OJlQ 01' A nIH.:AIU.
And then I saw the bont no more:
But WhPD 3notht>T fln.sh did come
1 looked agnin; but naught. hnt toam
Xow rode npon the surging wa.ves.
The boat wos gone. The waiting ro<'ks
Rejoi('ed :tbo'"e their prey at last.
1 knew no more. Upon the sands
1 sank as one who falls before
The flash of some dread foeman's 51('£01.
II.
How long the night, I do not know:
T nen"r knew how long I slept,
Because I diO not care to ask.
One morn I woke in vague surprise.
To find myself. I knew not where.
And little cared; IOI'I had left
My lire behind me in the storm.
Kind races bent abo"e my bed,
Kind yoico>s greeted me "ith joy:
Ullt all was strange, and like a dJ'eam
O[ some magarian"s wondron:) skill :
I did not compl'f'hend nor care
What menning Jay within it nIl.
My mind was ('louded, and my 50111
ANA
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12 {'lInY:;TELLA :
Was like II blinded, wingle~'i Lird,
Voiceless, yet. knowin,S! not its pligill.
All was mystel'iou,;:;, and Illy Ii[~
Se<>med like:t lonely, barren ::;rl'f'tch
Of dead and useless dpirel,t sILnc1s.
:\..ltd t :l thoughtless wunderer,
Just passing Itimlessly acl'Oss.
Another morn. and I awoke:
For in my slumher I had heard
A strange voice utter nenr my eur.
A n:tlDe familial' unto me.
But which I had not heard fol' years.
It startled lie. but no one saw
'fhe change that came across my [ace;
.And so I closed my eyes, and lay
And listened to the voice that spokt'.
How I could listen to thai: tale.
And give no sign of having heard,
Is still n mystery to me ;
But. no one ever knew thnt I
Rnd caught rhp <l;ound ot e"el'y woro.
That tell tl'Oln those strange lips th at told
The 8tory full of pain and grief.
J heard the stol'Y und, I tell
It jnst as it was told thut day,
Tin: ECliO (1).- A DltEA~I,
TIL
I( IT is n story strange and sad,
And more like son1f' ,'olllance of uld,
Than liklo' a taJe of modern truth j
Ytlt it is true: and if you wish.
1 willl'eiate the story now:
,. All, she was fair, - ChrysteJ1a Vallf',­Much
fairer than m Ofit women al't.' :
And hl::r sweet C.lce wa:; said to bf>
.AlII'OI'lt'S rim] in the race
For matchless Creshness and the bloom
Of youthful beauty; and her eyes
Were full oC that sweet, languid light,
'Yhieh wakes and Hashes into IHe
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"'hen roused Cram dl'eamin~: and ht'\' hair
Like that of Cair ,Berenice.
Was bt'Ulltiful enough to Hoat.
A constellation in the skies.
An artist stl'u,lrgled, it is Slid,
Day nJter day, to paint ror bel'
A portr-.. lit or herself. At last
He g1we the effort o'er, and vowed
That A.rt could ne,'e l' quite 8UC('ee<i
rn doing justic(> to her be,luty.
\NA
14 ('lIltYSTEI.L.\ :
.• I (:annat pi('tllre her to Y011-
'rhink of an angel. and pel'ha.ps
Some vision then will greet yonr mind,
And bring to yOll the lowly face
or sweet and fai.r Vhl'ystelln. Yane.
"It has been years, long years ago,
Sim'c !:Ihe was young and l>eulltiful-
1 c:.m't remember when: for I
Was still unborn when she was young.
My father saW he usc(l to be
Her sweetheart in the olden days.
ppthaps he was. A childish tie
May once have bound his heart to hers;
Bllt time bl'inJrs changes. TIe forgot,
In a[tel' yelll'S, tbe little girl
Who used to wait for him to pass
.\.\ong the street. :lnd throw to him
A kiss from dainty finger tips.
*\h me, the yem'S!l1'e fast, aIld time
Makes Ulany dumges with us nIl.
But I "Ill wandering. Let me turll
'1'0 what I started out to say .
.• I snid th:u she was vl;'r~t fair.­Ah
well, she was, (tml many (':lnU:'
A .... suitor::; fol' hf'r dainty hand,
Till-: ECHO 01" A DnEAlIl.
But she wos roy, and would not gin:
Htlf ht'nrt without a pu rling thoughl.
She gan~ no hope to plE'lluing sll'rum:!,
But. nnf' by one, sent them awny
To find ::nll.'b comfort as they could.
She would not murry, SO she said,
l'nriJ she found a perfect man-
N ot perfect 11nto en:I'Y one,
Bllt pt'l'feet ill her IO\'ing eyes.
,. At last she ronnd him: and she gal'P
iIel'lH':ll't and ~onl and 10\'e to him:
She gaxe him nIl. Hnd was content
To know ht' ga,-e his heart to her;
rle had no more-his heart nncllife­He
:nwe I\(~r thf>sE', and that \\'ft.~ all.
.. But bytl and bye another CaUlE';
lit' bronght a !ortu1lt~ in his hand .
. \ nd offered her <1 noblp heart.
Rith with the hidden 10l'e of years.
HilS was a manly heart ;lIld true,
But not more noblE' rh:ln the Ont'
.\Irendy I)t'ntingwith hE'l'OWll .
.. Her hpl1I't wa" gOIl(,>; ~hi" could not ~\'t'
To him what was not hel"~ to gh'c.
ANA
If)
Tlwrt> was no hope; but still h~ plead,
'Givf' me your hancl. and I will win
Your heart whenever you ;Ht! mine ;
Refuse my love, and life to me
Uen('cforward is a. wretched farce.'
Sht' knew he llleRnt it. for his he<ll't
'Yasseen in e \'~ ry word he said .
•. She bade him go. He went away,
But left a. lurking ghost behind .
.. His name wa.'~ Cecil whom shf' loved,
And Adrian was the other's name.
'Tis said that they were hand.!lome youths,
And both of noble birth and mien,
·.,rith hearts as trne nsever bent;
But poverty became the lot
Of him who was the most belon'd :
Whilf> Adrian's purse was always full.
I never knew them. but they say
'rhat it was hard for two such lives
To have been \\rrecked and lost l>ecause
or one fair woman's love ; but. sneh
'VitI sometimes be the consequence,
When hearts are weak ana love is strollg.
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TIn: EOliO 01-' A Dln~ ,\\1.
" And so she wedded Adrian-
Nay, do not st.."lrt-her ]o\'e was true
To ('eeil. but her heart was weak j
And when she knew that Adrian's liCe
\\Tas being wrecked because of her,
Her sympathy was greater than
Tite power or her truest love-
Ko. do not say that she WILS false.
Nor that her heart was seeking for
SODlt" worldly, mercenary end.
Jt was not that. Her's was a stl'an,2'e.
Queer heart, the counterpart of which
Has ne\'er yet been known by men .
.. And Cecil, being POOl', could not
Insist that she should wait for him:
And so he bade her act as she
Thought best for her own happiness.
His heart was strong j he could entlure­.\
t least he 5.'li<1 that he could bear
To go through nny lhing for her.
,j But it is easier f:u' to tnlk
or bearing trouble, than to stand
And f:we the storln whene'el' it {'omt's :
And so it pl'o\'ed in Cecil's ellse.
lANA
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"I said she wedded Adrian j
A nd he, not knowing that she loved
Anotherone, was sntisfied
And happy in his victory.
But time shows all things; and alas,
For those whom time doth prove untrue.
II It has been years, long years since then,
And ob, what changes have been wrought:
Now Adrian fills nn unknown grave,
A.nd Cecil-no one knows of him.
Their lives were blighted, ruined, wrecked,
Because of one fair woman's love.
"Chl'ystelln could not hide her heart ;
And bye and bye it came to light
That Adrian did not own her lo\'l;~ ;
He wok", ns Olle (rom dreams or bli&>
Awakes to find ltis loved one dead j
He woke !loom bappy dreams to learn
That life find 10\'e were b1l t a fl.\1'OO ;
His heart was broken, and he knew
That death were better far than Iile.
I. And so he died: but no one knows
His resting place. Like some bright st:u'.
,
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TIlE ECHO OF A Dln:AM
That flashes forth ~ith promises
For one brief moment, nnel, ere long,
Fades (rom the bosom of the sky,
He came and went. Kind clHtrity
Would draw n veil around his death.
"Bllt what of Cecil? On the morD
Which brought his doom before hi~ eyes,
He went away i and never more
Came back to look upon the face
Which made his life a barren waste.
They ne'fer knew what was bis late:
No word was e\Oer heard from him i
And like a sad pathetio dream,
He faded from the minds of men .
.. And what of her who caused it all I
A. h me, my tongue can never tell
One half the sorrow of her life-­Her's
was the saddest Catc of all.
"T saw her ouce, some yeal'S aga­I
did not wish to see again:
For yet there lingers in my mind
The picture of that wi ld, sad face,
Which cast on me such woeful eyes.
lANA
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20 CIIJ{Y$TELJ.A :
So hill of moumfnl, pleading pain,
And dead despair, that o'er my heart.
It tlll'Cw u. melancholy spell,
'Vhich l have never quite forgot­She
loolted the picture of Despair
Above the grave or buried Hope.­Her
hail' was white as Christmas snow,
And fell in wild disorder down
Around her pale and wrinkl~l race ;_
But vain the task-I en,nnot tell,
In fitling terms, her lonely plight,
Elen Niobe, in all her woe,
~e'el' s\l'fftlred more rhan her who grieved
Because of li,,~s that she had wrecked.
"But nIl things end; and every grief
Is ~ome time blotted out at last;
And every heal't that soffers pain,
Some da~' will sleep and rest in peace.
.. Some Ih'es are tragic j and some deaths
Are tNlgffiies \\ithin tbemseh'es.
Ghrystclla's life was strange j bel' death
Was stmugel' still.
" You know it stormed
L.1sl Friday night-an awflll storm,
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Such as we have not had lor years ;
A night of terror, and I pray
That it ma.y never come again.
"The fishers say that Friday eve,
Just as the storm began to rise,
A boat was seen far out at sea,
Rocking upon the waves. Bnt they
Were powerless to send relief j
Because the tempest and the night
So quickly hid the boat from ,"iew.
They waited there upon the beach.
To be of service, if they could,
'1'0 any who might come: ashore.
"They knew not who was in the boat,
But trusted that some chance might come,
Whereby the boat would not be lost.
But it is '{'ain to hope against
Such storms as tbat of Friday night .
,I A cry was beard abo"e tbe roar
Of angry waves and battling winds-­A
cry of anguish and despnit,
\Vhich smote the hearts of those that beul'(l i
It was a woman's wailing voice,
22 CTIRYST};U.A :
A nd on the winds there came the cry
Of 'Ce.cil, Cecil, 01t, '1ny lmJer
a And that was nIl.
The morning came,
And 011 the s."l.uds they found a form,
All bl'uiSfK1. and ben.ten by the rocks j
Aml in the cold, dead hands there lay
Clinched tightly in the clasp of death,
A bit of paper-just a scrap-
And writtE"o on it were these words ;
, Oli Oecil, my bclor;ed one,
(:ome back and WlJC 'flU! once again /'
.• And thel'e upon the ocean sands,
'Vithin the reach of lising tides,
The wavelets breaking at her feet,
The se:tweeds tangled in her hair,
And salt-.sea. spray upon her brow,
Chrystella Valle lay dead at last,"
lY.
'I'm: voice grew still-aye still as death;
1'he Calling sunlight seemed to breathe,
So strangely silent was Lhe room ;
..... Il(l then I stmined my listening ear,
librarY.
\
TUE :ECHO 01-' A DRF.AlL
And heard the heart or silence beat.
There was a moment of suspense­An
a.wful moment, nnel so long
rt was more like eternity .
. \Ilcl then I heard a. sweet, clear voice,
That echoed in my dreaming eal',
Ana put to flight the phantom forms,
That came to haunt my sleeping hOOTS .
• \ little hand steals into mine,
Sort eyes look down and smile on me :
Fait' fingers deftly curl my hair,
And smilng lips uoclose and say,
II 0 ('ceil, do nQt (h'ecnn again."
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t'ORTH CAROLINIANA
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R<dweI. James Chestef. 1868·1893.
Chryiteh : the
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NORTH CAROLINIANA
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